Category Archives: Science Video Tips

I provide various tips for improving your science videos, including information about lighting, sound, interviewing talent, shooting video, editing video, and sources of public domain images for use in your science video projects.

Using Time-Lapse Video To Demonstrate Mangrove Restoration Techniques in Mekong Delta

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I’ve been attending a conference this week (Turning the Tide on Mangrove Loss) and have been pleased to see so many presenters using video in their talks to show various aspects of their research. One effective video used time lapse photography to show the construction of “t-fences” in the Mekong Delta. T-fences are used to capture sediment and help build soil elevations sufficiently to support mangrove vegetation. Here is the video (link in case you cannot see the player window):

If you are interested in learning how to create a time lapse video, I’ve produced several tutorials and written posts about the topic:

Use Time Lapse to Reveal Unseen Biological Phenomena

How to Create a Time-Lapse Video with Your Smartphone

How to Create a Time-Lapse Video from Still Images

Time Lapse Tutorial for GoPro Hero 3+

How To Use Video To Enrich Your Next Scientific Poster Presentation

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poster_session_klmckeeMany of you, especially students, will present your research in the poster session at a scientific conference. What if you have interactive content such as a video that you would like to include in your poster display? For example, you might want to show details of your methods or to explain your work further. How do you go about doing this? At the moment, conference centers don’t offer electronic displays for this purpose–at least not enough to go around. However, there is a way to merge your static poster with video by inserting a QR (Quick Response) code that links to the video. The code, which is a unique representation of the link, is scanned with a smartphone or tablet, allowing the visitor to watch the video on their mobile device.

Below is a step-by-step description of how to use a QR code in a poster to allow someone to see your video.

First, your video needs to be online and reachable through a web link. Copy the link and go to a website that generates QR codes. There are many online that provide a free service. Here’s one that I used to create the screenshot below. Just select URL under type, then paste in the link to your video. The QR code is automatically generated; save it to your files.

qrcode_salinity

Next, create your poster as you normally would. Embed the QR code somewhere on the poster as shown in the example below. I would limit the number of QR codes to one or two per poster. Too many will be distracting or might make your poster look like an advertisement. You may need to include brief instructions for scanning the code.

poster_qrcode

Visitors will need a barcode reader app to scan your QR code. There are many to choose from. The images below show one that I have on my phone (Bakodo). Once the QR code is centered within the brackets, the app automatically scans it and gives you the option of opening the URL the code represents (it also gives a shortened URL).

qrcode_screenshot_iphone_klmckeeqrcode_screenshot2_klmckee

The app then takes the viewer to the video, which can be watched on the mobile device:

salinity_video_screenshot_klmckee

 

 

 

 

 

This is a great way to share your research videos at a conference. You might also use a QR code that links to your video on a flyer or resume.

Macroscopic Solutions

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14420225927_d81ac01d7d_zPeriodically, I point readers to sources of public domain or open source media that they may wish to use in video projects. In this post, I’d like to highlight Macroscopic Solutions, which is a company that “provides products, services, and support based on the photographic technique of image stacking”. Image stacking is a technique in which digital images taken at different focal distances are merged into a single image with a greatly improved depth of field. If you’ve ever tried to take a closeup photograph of something, you know how difficult it is to get the entire image in focus. You can focus on one part of an object such as the eye of a fly, but the rest of its body is blurred. Image stacking gets around this problem, allowing the photographer to generate amazingly detailed images (see image above by Macroscopic Solutions).

I met co-founders, Mark Smith and Daniel Saftner, at a conference a while ago and had a chance to talk with them about their business and what they offer scientists and educators in the way of imaging solutions.

Macroscopic Solutions posts many images on its website as well as on Flickr and allows reuse of those images through a Creative Commons license (attribution required). There are also a few videos like this one of a hummingbird. Note that some macroscopic images posted on Flickr are created by individuals who have reserved all rights (meaning that you cannot use their image without their permission). So be sure to check the licensing information before downloading and using any Flickr image or video.

If your work involves macro/microphotography, you might be interested in Macroscopic Solutions’ product. They sell a camera system (the Macropod) that facilitates image capture and processing to produce high quality images for education or research (note that I have not tested the Macropod and so cannot make specific comments about its pros and cons). However, below is a video that describes their product and the process of image stacking (if you cannot see the player window on your device, here is the direct link):

iPhone Slow Motion Tutorial

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In the last post, I included a video tutorial showing how to make a slow-motion film with a GoPro Hero camera. But did you know that your iPhone (5s and above) can shoot slow motion video also? There is an option called “slo-mo”, which allows video recording at 120 frames per second (fps). In the video tutorial below, I show how to set up your phone to capture slow motion footage and then how to edit with iMovie for iOS (if you cannot see the player window, here is the link to the video).

GoPro Hero 3+ Slow Motion Tutorial

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You can shoot a lot of neat action footage with a GoPro. To create a really interesting effect in a video, you might want to slow that action down. For example, you might want to film a fast-moving animal such as a flying insect or bird but be able to slow the film down to see movements more clearly. My subject was a hummingbird, which you can see in the short clip below (footage was shot at 120 fps and slowed to play at 30 fps). If you can’t see the player window, here is the direct link.

How did I do that? Well, I’ve created a tutorial that shows how to set up a GoPro Hero 3+ (Black Edition) to capture footage at 120 fps (frames per second) and then how to convert the footage in GoPro Studio (free download) to produce a slow motion film. Here is the direct link to the tutorial in case you can’t see the player window on your device.

You can set up the GoPro to shoot at 240 fps, but you will no longer be able to shoot in HD. Anyway, I had great fun filming the hummingbird and am looking forward to using my GoPro in the future to produce slow motion action footage for my science videos.

Want to learn more techniques like this? If so, you may be interested in my ebook, The Scientist Videographer, which covers everything you need to know to produce an effective and professional video. Available in iTunes Store (fully interactive version for iPad, iPhone, & Mac), Smashwords (text version), and Amazon Kindle (text version).